Tulare Western High School Newspaper

Trying Something New

I am a 16 year old female living in Tulare, California and a big part of my life contradicts with where I live. Tulare County alone is one of the top agriculture capitals of the world, we host the annual World Ag Expo, which is the world’s largest annual agricultural exposition. So in turn, Tulare is very focused on its dairymen and so on and so forth. The thing about that is, it stirs up a lot of controversy with my peers because I’ve been vegan for two years.

So basically everything Tulare stands for, I don’t.

I don’t eat meat, eggs, dairy or anything that comes from an animal.

So in turn, I get A LOT of questions, since it’s quite uncommon where I’m from.

Dairy products are basically empty calories with little nutritional value, and do more harm than good.

Meat

This is what Dr. Micheal McGreger of nutritionfacts.org had this to say about meat consumption:

To make a long story short, the World Health Organization classified red meat and processed meat as a Class 1 carcinogen to humans. Meaning that having too much of it, which varies person by person, is associated with many different issues within your body. Such as different types of cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, infertility, and so much more.

And I love my arteries too much.

What do you even eat? You can’t eat like anything!

Well dear reader, I’m going to tell you just that!

Breakfast

One serving of plain oatmeal cooked with unsweetened vanilla almondmilk. After cooking I add a tablespoon of chia seeds and flax seeds, a tablespoon of walnuts and add a sweetener. (sugar, agave, maple syrup, etc.) To drink I’ll have a cup or two of almondmilk. On the side, I normally have a serving of fruit and one to two slices of whole wheat toast with vegan “butter”. (one of the two below)

Lunch

Since my school has not yet provided any options for me to eat (but will soon) I have to pack my lunch. It normally consist of my dinner from the previous night.

One of my favorite things to make is pasta.

What I’ll do first is, chop up the onions, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, then mince the garlic. Bring your sauce pan to medium heat with 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil then sautee your onions until they’re almost golden brown then add in your garlic and tomatoes. Sautee until aromatic (you can smell it) then add in your zucchini and yellow squash. Stir frequently and cook until fork tender. This is when I’ll add some salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and parsley. If desired add in some fake “meat”balls, I prefer this brand called Gardein you can find most of their products at Target.

While waiting for your zucchini and such to cook properly, follow the instructions on the back of your pasta box and let that be.

When your zucchini and such is fork tender, add in your marinara sauce.

When everything, including your pasta, is ready combine and enjoy.

Like mentioned before, I normally have this meal for dinner the night before, and I take the leftovers to school the next day.

Snack

I’m an active female, so I’m hungry all of the time, around 10 a.m I’ll have a snack of a fruit and some pretzels.

Dinner

Since winter is still upon us, there is nothing better to me than soup. (Serves five)You will also need a soup pot and lid, 1/2 to a cup of water, one medium zucchini, one medium yellow squash, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper.

Start of by sauteeing your onions and garlic like how you did with the pasta. When aromatic and in your lentils for 3 minutes to get them nice and flavorful. Add in sweet potatoes, celery and carrots, cook for another 3 minutes. Add 4 cups of vegetable broth or stock, t1hen the water if need be, zucchini, yellow squash and seasonings to taste. Cover pot with lid when you bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat and cover. Make sure to check on stew occasionally, and stir if need be. May take 45-60 minutes to cook. You’ll know when done when sweet potatoes are fork tender.

To make garlic bread, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and butter your bread with the vegan “butter” (I prefer sourdough) and sprinkle on garlic powder and salt to taste. Cook for about five-ten minutes.

For the actual snicker doodle, roll about a tablespoon of the dough into a ball and roll into cinnamon sugar (mix 2 tsp of sugar and cinnamon together on plate to get same results). Then place balls on parchment paper on a tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes!

Tulare Western High School

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